High on Summertime
by ThatOneGoodWriter
Summary: You can take anything away, but not summer. Clace.
1. Chapter 1

_Come when you can't give up. _

Fazilet Hanim Ve Kizlari

**x**

Every summer, we stayed at our beach house, a convenient location away from the swarming city. And for just about two months, I'd get a whiff of grainy sand and churning waves. It started out when I was seventeen. Visits that usually meant I was escaping school and getting time to be myself. Then that changed. I found myself meeting an intruder.

**'09**

_"Mom, I'm going for a swim." She took hold of a towel hanging from her closet and slung it over her shoulder. _

_Jocelyn raised an eyebrow. She was holding a small wooden spoon, half dug into a shiny pot on the stove. "This late?" _

_Clary rolled her eyes. "Calm down, mom. I won't be long." She slid open the patio doors. "I'll be back for dinner." _

_The last thing she heard was her mother chuckling and mumbling, "You never miss dinner anyway, sweetheart." _

**x**

_The ocean was hers. _

_In the late evening sky, the waters were a dark blue. Almost motionless. _

_She slipped out of her flip flops, her toes delving into the sand. She sat on the border of the beach and ocean, stretching out her feet into the warm liquid. _

_And that was really it. _

_The feeling of being entirely alone. The breeze softly rushing through her auburn curls. The scent of salt filling her nostrils. _

_She didn't hear him until she saw him. _

**x**

_He was shirtless, she realized with an embarrassed jolt. _

_And he was on her property._

**x**

_She stumbled to rise up, forgetting to place her towel around her body. She was just wearing a one piece swimsuit; she might as well have been naked. _

_"What-What are you doing here?" She sort of demanded, her question coming out more nervous than demanding. _

_His hair was an inky gold. Long and unruly. He tilted his head to stare at her and in that second, she felt insecure. Small. _

_His lips twitched and the murky orbs that met hers were a hazy yellow. "My bad." He didn't sound apologetic. "Couldn't resist." _

**x**

_"I'll leave if you let me go for a swim." He offered her, when she remained silent._

_She didn't know what to say. _

_Here he was, a beautiful stranger, talking to her. Maybe even flirting with her a little. _

_Would she kick him out?_

_Call for her mother and raise hell? _

_Or listen to him? _

_She licked her lips. They had gone dry. "Okay." _

_His eyes widened. He was impressed and it made her giddy, knowing that he had expected otherwise. _

**x**

_She collapsed on her spot again, goosebumps still covering her skin. _

_And she watched him dive into the ocean. _

_When he didn't come out for at least a minute, she grew worried. She almost called out for him, but she didn't know his name. _

_And then he appeared, his hair wet and clinging to his face. His lashes were dripping with water. He howled, a long laugh that made something in her chest tighten. _

_He jerked his head towards her. "Come on." _

_She immediately turned down the offer, her rosy cheeks betraying her. _

_He insisted. _

_And she found herself sauntering into the ocean, the water reaching her knees. Then her waist, And finally, her chest. _

**x**

_She made sure there was a foot between them. _

_He must have noticed, but he didn't say anything. _

_Floating idly, he raised a blonde eyebrow. "How long can you stay under?" _

_It was a challenge. She almost smiled. "You go first. I'll count."_

_He didn't wait. His head slid downwards and he was gone. She whispered to herself, "One...nine...fifteen...twenty...thirty one...forty." She hesitated. Eventually continued. _

_A minute. _

_And then she stopped. Because she couldn't find any sign of him. She told herself not to panic. "Where are you?" She asked, her voice shaking. She was ashamed of it, the fear she harnessed for a boy she didn't even know. _

_Then. _

_Spluttering. _

_He coughed a few times. _

_"How long was that?" _

_Her jaw dropped slightly and she swam to shore, angry and foolish. _

_She wrapped her towel around her shoulders. She was cold. The water from her hair was trickling down her ears and back. _

_"Where are you going?" His teeth were chattering, she noticed. _

_"Home." She answered him firmly. _

_"What did I do?" He stepped in front of her path. She tried not to peer at his glistening skin or his crimson mouth or the way his hair curled when it dried. _

_"Nothing." But her face deceived her. _

_"Were you scared?" He questioned and his tone wasn't accusatory or insulting. _

_She wouldn't admit it, so he took that as an answer. "You don't have to be scared. I'm a master swimmer." He grinned and it took her a while to notice that one of his front teeth was chipped. _

_"I gotta get home." _

_He looked disappointed. "Alright." _

_She walked away and when she thought she was far enough, she turned to glance at him again. He was on the sand, lying on his back. _

_No, he wasn't an intruder. _

_There was no way her mother would find out about him. Not a chance, Clary thought. _

**x**

**a/n: I'm back! Yeah, I know. It's been too long. This is a new short story I'm working on. Let me know what ya think. **

**As for all my other stories, they'll be updated soon. No worries there. **

**And to all those in New Zealand, particularly Muslims, please be safe. Love one another. Your place of worship should never be a place of violence. Rest in peace to the victims of the two mosques. Love, people. That's all it takes. **


	2. Chapter 2

_Every day, I carry your memory. I never thought it would be this heavy. _

Allen Mae

**x**

**'09**

_She pushed aside her vegetables on her plate. She had mostly finished her pasta and was wasting time wondering how she'd tell her mother she was going to the beach again. Jocelyn was inviting Luke over for the night so that they could all play a board game. Even though she hadn't seen Luke in awhile, she desperately wanted to find out if the boy would visit the ocean again. _

_She glanced up and placed her fork down on the table with a clatter. "Hey, mom. Um, I was wondering. Can I go out for a swim?" _

_Her mother scoffed, taking a long sip of her juice. "Luke's coming. Don't you wanna see him?"_

_Clary smiled. "Of course I do. I won't be long. Promise." She hoped her facial expression would do the trick. _

_Jocelyn sighed. It sounded like defeat. "Go ahead. You know I can't keep you away from the ocean." _

**x**

_She didn't bother with a bikini. She slipped on a thin hoodie over her tank top and left the yellow shorts she had been wearing earlier. _

_Outside, a light gust ruffled her body and she hurried toward the shore, her heart racing. _

_He wasn't there. _

_She mumbled a curse word. _

_There was no use. She was being stupid. She had given up the chance to stay with the boy when he had offered her. _

_She slumped on the sand and wrapped her arms around her knees. She would have to get back. Her mother and Luke would worry. _

_"You're here, again." _

_And she didn't have to turn to know that it was him. She slipped a curl behind her ear, took a breath, and faced him. _

_She responded smoothly, unlike the night before. "Of course I am. It's my house." _

_He was wearing a shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair was combed, but strands still collapsed over his forehead. "Touché." _

**x**

_They were sitting beside one another, a foot of space between them. _

_"I'm Jace." He started, reaching out his hand. _

_She swallowed. "I'm Clary." And she shook his hand. And it was warm. And calloused. And electrifying. _

_"Like clary sage." He mused, holding a fistful of sand and dropping it back to the ground soundlessly. _

_"Huh?"_

_He grinned. "The plant."_

_She flushed, beet red. "Oh, yeah." _

_He laughed. _

**x**

_"Do you live here?" She asked him. _

_He nodded. _

_"Oh."_

**x**

_"I have to go." She mumbled reluctantly. It was almost nine. _

_He rose to his feet, towering over her small stature. She was reminded of the fact that he was much taller and leaner than she had thought. _

_"I'll see you around Clary." And the sound of her name from his mouth made her stomach do wild things. She hoped he didn't notice. _

_"Bye, Jace." _

**x**

**[a/n] I know. It's short. Bear with me. **

**If you could answer this question in your review, it would be mean a lot. **

**what does summer mean to you? Or remind you of? **


	3. Chapter 3

_I am larger, better than I thought, I did not know I held so much goodness. _

Walt Whitman

**x**

**'09**

_Luke's arrival made her temporarily forget about Jace's presence at the beach. _

_He almost always came with bags of gifts, even though she never asked him for anything. Today was no different. Luke ate dinner with them and told them stories of all the places he'd visited. He was a photographer and made enough of a living that he could travel practically anywhere. His latest endeavor was Hong Kong. _

_He swallowed a piece of his burger. "Clary, you can feel the energy there." His eyes were wide and engaged. She smiled against the rim of her cup. He turned to her mother and explained, "You think New York is this buzzing place, but Hong Kong is beautiful. I'll take you guys there someday." _

_Jocelyn laughed. She was always lighter when Luke was around. In another life, she might have married him. Instead, they were best friends who occasionally visited one another and ended up revealing every little thing about their personal lives. "That sounds lovely, Luke."_

_They ate on. _

**x**

_She was in her room, drawing as she always did when her phone lacked sufficient connection to text her friends back home. At first, she drew small doodles. Little things like books, a magical wand, and even characters from childhood cartoons. Then the pieces became complex. She couldn't help sketching Jace. She told herself it was inevitable. She always drew people she interacted with. It was no different. _

_She sighed softly and dropped her pencil on her desk. She rose to her feet and sauntered to open the doors of her balcony. When a warm breeze brushed her skin, she smiled. Everything was always so beautiful from afar. _

_She held the railing and stared out into the ocean. She could hear the rhythmic sound of waves hitting the shore. There was a low murmuring in the air and she knew that it belonged to birds scouring the area. It was nearing evening. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned slightly before catching a glimpse of gold from below. _

_Her eyebrows furrowed. _

_It was him. _

_Again. _

_She grinned. She couldn't resist. She rushed into her room and changed into her bathing suit. _

**x**

_No, she definitely wouldn't let him know she had come down for him. No way. She'd play it cool. Just swim, she thought to herself. _

**x**

_She dipped her feet into the water and released a short breath before dropping her towel on the sand. It didn't take long before she was swimming, arms outstretched and moving swiftly._

_She poked her head upwards, reaching the surface. It was then that she saw him. _

_Sitting on the sand. _

_Watching her. _

**x**

_She willed herself to calm down. _

_She swam back to shore, hoping her cheeks didn't betray her emotions. _

_When she reached him, he handed her her towel and she took it silently before wrapping it around her body. _

_"Clary." He started, not saying anything after that. _

_She swallowed and sat down next to him. "What's up?"_

**x**

_He wasn't wearing a shirt. She had to remind herself that as they spoke. He had so many tattoos, practically everywhere. Some were vibrant and intricate while others were simple and plain in color. She shook her head and focused on what he was saying. _

_"It's funny how we always see each other here." _

_She smiled. "Well, for one, I kind of live here and this is my property." She raised both of her eyebrows at him. "But maybe I can ask you where you live..."_

_Jace laughed. She tucked her hands underneath her thighs so he wouldn't notice them fidgeting nervously. "I'm actually your neighbor." _

_She couldn't hide her surprise. Her jaw went slack. "You're kidding." _

_He sent her a playful wink. "Yeah. I'm glad I got that out of the way. I'm not some creep." _

_Clary took a few moments to speak again. "Well, the last thing I needed was a stalker." _

_Jace scoffed. He had a habit of tugging strands of his hair then swiping them back into place. "So, tell me about yourself Clary." _

_She shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. "What do you wanna know?" _

_He took a handful of sand and then let go of the grains. "Tell me what you think I should know." _

_Clary pursed her lips. _

**x**

_She gave him her most basic introduction. It was rather boring when she thought of it, but she was anxious and afraid he'd leave if he found out about her rambling. _

_"I'm seventeen. I come here every summer from New York. Um, I really like art." _

**x**

_He nodded. _

_He turned so that he was facing her and she was forced to stare at him directly. She noticed with warm amusement that part of his hair was braided childishly. It was cute. _

_"I'm Jace; it's short for Jonathon. Nobody really calls me Jonathon unless they're mad at me." The corner of her mouth lifted and he continued. "I also come here every summer, but I live in Toronto." _

_"Huh." She would've never guessed he was Canadian. _

_He read her expression and replied, "I was born in Los Angeles though. I've just done a lot of moving." _

_She nodded, hoping she wasn't dragging him somewhere he didn't want to go. She changed the subject. "What do you like to do?" _

_He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I play a few instruments-"_

_"You do?" Her wonder must have surprised him for he chuckled. _

_For a while, the ocean was the last thing on Clary's mind. _

**x**

_"Maybe we can see each other tomorrow." He suggested. "We can hit the markets or something." _

_She nodded, her heart rattling. He wanted to see her again. "Yeah, that sounds cool. I'd like that." _

_He smiled. "Alright. G'night Clary." _

_She started forward in her flip flops and whirled slightly, "G'night Jace." _

**x**

**[a/n]: **This story had to be updated simply because I went outside today and it was so lovely and warm. Summer is here guys. I know it's difficult to think about anything other than this virus, but take some time to smell fresh air and enjoy the outdoors. The world's still moving. We are still here. Ride a bike around town. Take a walk around the neighborhood. Just live.

Stay safe. Wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from one another. It would be awesome if you reviewed too :)


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